82 investors seek to build solar power plants on state land in North Macedonia

Tendering for the construction of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants with a combined installed capacity of 35 MW on state land, backed by feed-in premiums approved by the Government of North Macedonia, has attracted strong interest among investors, with a total of 82 domestic and foreign companies submitting bids, according to the Ministry of Economy’s website.

Investors have been offered to build solar power plants on state land in two municipalities in North Macedonia. The total installed capacity planned for the Sveti Nikole municipality is 25 MW, while the plan for the Makedonski Brod municipality envisages the construction of solar power plants with a total installed capacity of 10 MW, according to earlier reports.

Following the launch of tendering on June 10, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs Koco Angjusev said that locations were available for solar power plants with a capacity of 10 MW, 5 MW, 2 MW, and 1 MW, meaning that not only major investors could compete.

Feed-in premium ceiling set at EUR 15 per MWh

The land will be awarded to investors that seek the lowest feed-in premiums for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, and the ceiling price is set at EUR 15 per MWh.

At the opening of bids, Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi said that the next step is publishing a list of bidders that meet the criteria to take part in an auction, which is to be held within 90 days, according to the ministry’s website.

In June, Angjusev said that the state will facilitate administrative procedures for these projects, while investors will be required to produce project documentation, including an environmental impact assessment study, and procure the equipment. The price of the grid connection will be in the EUR 20,000-EUR 30,000 range, according to him.

Angjusev also said at the time that bidders must prove creditworthiness and have positive balance sheets and no debts to other legal entities.